WHY MULTIPLICATION THOUGHT

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WHY MULTIPLICATION THOUGHT

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Title: WHY MULTIPLICATION THOUGHT

1
WHY MULTIPLICATION THOUGHT?

It is a demonstrated principle of church growth
that Christianity gains in a society only to the
extent that the number of existing churches is
multiplied. Multiplication of new congregations
of believers, then, is the normal and expected
output of a healthy body. Engel Norton
Whats Gone Wrong with the Harvest? pp143-44
The third course would teach how to multiply
congregations in North American Anglos and
minority populations.
Donald Effective Evangelism, p.6

2
McGavran Effective Evangelism

In our preaching let us make sure that this
aspect of the Christian faith is repeatedly held
before our congregations, Sunday school meetings,
and other assemblies of the saints. To be a true
church we must become a reproductive church. Let
us remember that full biblical soundness and
spiritual renewal cannot limit themselves to
existing congregations. They must multiply
congregations. P. 45

3
Church or Surrogate Parenting

Spurgeon made the following comment in
1865
Such a church, with its many agencies in
incessant operation, becomes a power, not in this
country merely, but in the world. Such were the
first Churches in Corinth, in Philippi, in
Ephesus, and in Rome. Most of these arose, as in
the case before us, almost entirely from the
labours of one man. Is not this then, we ask, as
we appeal to its efficiency, as we appeal to its
spirituality, as we appeal to its internal
harmony, as we appeal to its development of all
Christian gifts and graces, and as we appeal to
its freedom from all the evils of secular
ecclesiasticism,--Is not this the fashion after
which the Gospel was originally designed to
spread, and in which

4
Church or surrogate (cont.)

it can best be extended in any country and
in any age? The combination of many Churches in
one system of organization for the support of
missions, both at home and abroad, may be the
best thing when Churches are small and feeble in
themselves but it is second best only to the
primitive plan. It is more costly, and it
creates a power unknown to the apostles, and
detrimental to the liberty of individual
churches. We admit its great utility in a
transition state from false to genuine
Christianity, and are thankful for its results,
but, at the same time, we are persuaded it has
its limits, and is chiefly valuable, as it
restores to the Church, and multiplies its own
centres of illumination. CHS, MT Statistics, S
T 1 (April 1865)

5
Spurgeons Conversion, pt.1

Spurgeons describing his own salvation
experience
Precious is that wine which is pressed in the
wine vat of conviction pure is that gold which
is dug from the mines of repentance and bright
are those pearls which are found in the caverns
of deep distress.He who has stood before God,
convicted and condemned with the rope about his
neck is the man to weep with joy when he is
pardoned, and to live to the honor of the
Redeemer by whose blood he is cleansed. Day,
Spurgeon, p. 58

6
Spurgeons Conversion, pt. 2

Spurgeons soteriology came out of his own
experience
Son of my love, he God said, you must stand
in the sinners place you must suffer what he
ought to have suffered you must be accounted
guilty,I will look upon the sinner in another
light. I will look at him as if he were Christ
I will accept him as if he were my only-begotten
Son, full of grace and truth. I will give him a
crown in heaven, and I will take him to My heart
for ever and ever. This is the way we are
saved Being justified freely by his
grace,.the moment he believes in Christ his
guilt is all taken away so that, when God looks
upon the sinnerHe looks upon with as much love
and affection as He ever looked upon His Son.
Spurgeon, Loves Logic, p.
305

7
Spurgeons Conversion, pt. 3

There was, I thought, a glimpse of hope for me in
that text. The preacher began thus My dear
friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It
says, Look. Now lookin dont take a great
deal of pain.You may be the biggest fool, and
yet you can look. A man neednt be worth a
thousand a year to be able to look. Anyone can
look even a child can look. But then the text
says, Look unto Me. Ay! Said he, in broad
Essex, many on ye are lookin to yourselves, but
its no use lookin there. Youll never find any
comfort in yourselves. Some look to God the
Father. No, look to Him by-an-by. Jesus Christ
says, Look unto Me. Some on ye say, We must
wait for the Spirits workin. You have no
business with that just now. Look to Christ.
The text says, Look unto Me.
Spurgeon, Autobiography, The Early Years,
p. 88

8
Spurgeons Conversion, pt. 4

It does not ask your consent but it gets it.
It does not say, will you have it? But it makes
you willing in the day of Gods power. Not
against your will, but it makes you willing. It
shows you its value, and then you fall in love
with it and straightway you run after it and
have it.The gospel wants not your consent, it
gets it. It knocks the enmity out of your
heart.He makes your will turn round, and then
you cry, Lord, save, or I perish. (1)
It pleases God by the foolishness of preaching
to accomplish his divine purposes, not because of
the power of preaching, nor the power of the
preacher, nor any power in those preached to, but
because all power is given unto Christ in
heaven and in earth, and he chooses to work by
the teaching of the Word. (2)
1 Spurgeon Heaven Hell 2 Power of the Risen
Savior

9
Spurgeons Conversion, pt. 5

I vow to glory alone in Jesus and His cross, and
to spend my life in the extension of his cause,
in whatsoever way He pleases. I desire to be
sincere in this solemn profession, having but one
object in view, and that to glorify God. Help me
to honor Thee, and live the life of Christ on
earth. Day, Spurgeon, p. 68
From that first day until now, I have acted on no
other principle but that of perfect consecration
to the work whereunto I am called. I surrendered
myself to my Saviour, I gave him my body, my
soul, my spiritI gave him my talents, my
powers,my whole manhood!....If Christ commands
me to hold up my little finger, and I do not obey
him, it looks like coolness in my love to him.
Day, Spurgeon, pp. 80-81

10
Spurgeons Beliefs

The doctrines of grace, substitution, and Christ
crucified created in him and confident gospel to
preach
Spurgeon stressed electing love, covenant
security, justification by faith, effectual
calling, and immutable faithfulness
Grace was rich in Spurgeons mind it forgives
all sin and fixes the affections upon Jesus and
His service
For Spurgeon, there was no dissonance between
sovereign grace (election) and human
responsibility
Spurgeon,
Autobiography, 3158

11
Spurgeons Beliefs (cont)

In the days of Paul it was not difficult at once,
in one word, to give the sum and substance of the
current theology. It was Christ Jesusbut if I
am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must
replyIt is Christ Jesus. My venerable
predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a body of
divinity, admirable and excellent in its way
but the body of divinity to which I would pin and
bind myself for ever, God helping me, is not his
system of divinity or any other human treatise,
but Christ Jesus, who is the sum and substance of
the gospel who is himself all theology, the
incarnation of every precious truth, the all
glorious personal embodiment of the way, the
truth, and the life. Spurgeon, The First Sermon
in the Tabernacle

12
Spurgeons Beliefs--election

But there are some who say, It is hard for God
to choose some and leave others. Now, I will
ask you one question. Is there any one of you
here this morning who wishes to be holy, who
wishes to be regenerate, to leave off sin and
walk in holiness? Yes, there is , says some
one, I do. Then God has elected you. But
another says, No I dont want to be holy I
dont want to give up my lusts and vices. Why
should you grumble, then, that God has not
elected you to it? For if you were elected you
would not like it, according to your own
confession.
Spurgeon,
Election, p. 75.

13
Spurgeon (more on election)

I know of nothing, nothing, again, that is more
humbling for us than this doctrine of
election.Why me? Why me?....moreover, election
makes us holy.Shall I sin.after God hath chosen
me? Spurgeon, Election
Grace election causes one to thoroughly and
consciously rest on Jesus Dont fancy election
excuses sindont dream of itdont rock yourself
in sweet complacency in the thought of your
irresponsibility. You are responsible
Spurgeon, Election
Election or no election, if you are resting upon
the rock of ages you are saved. Spurgeon
Election No
Discouragement to Seeking Souls
Regarding a persons confidence in his own faith
What we want to do is to kill it once and for
all. High Doctrine

14
Spurgeon on SalvationSpurgeon The Comers
Conflict with Satan

Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of
Christ that saves theeit is Christ it is not
thy joy in Christ that saves theeit is Christ
it is not even faith in Christ, though that is
the instrumentit is Christs blood and merits
therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ,
the source of thy hope look not to thy faith,
but to Christ, the author and finisher of thy
faith and if thou doest that, ten thousand
devils cannot throw thee down, but as long as
thou lookest at thyself, the weakest of those
evil spirits may tread thee beneath his feet.
There is one thing which we all of us too much
becloud in our preaching, though I believe we do
it very unintentionallynamely, the great truth
that it is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not
our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we
must rest, but upon Christ, and on Christ alone.

15
Spurgeon on repentance

We would not judge modern converts, but we
certainly prefer that form of spiritual exercise
which leads the soul by the way of the
Weeping-cross, and makes it see its blackness
before assuring it that it is clean every whit.
Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore
think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood
before his God, convicted and condemned, with the
rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy
when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has
been forgiven him, and to live to the honour of
the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed.
Spurgeon,
Autobiography, 176

16
Spurgeon on the Priesthood of the Believer

As our church recognises no distinction of
clergy and laity.
Spurgeon, MT Its History Work, p.55

17
Spurgeon and books

Spurgeon was characterized as an omnivorous
reader.
His practice was to read five to six
difficult books each week. He said He wished to
rub his mind against the strongest. He would
also read magazines and journals treating the
fields of medicine and science. This was in
addition to Puritan and other biblical studies.
And once he read it, the contents became
permanently his.
CHS, Autobiography,
4265
The old Puritans have more sense in one line
than there is in a page of our new books, and
more in one page than there is in a whole volume
of our modern divinity.
Spurgeon, Faith

18
Spurgeons advice on reading

The next rule I shall lay down is, master those
books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in
them until they saturate you. Read and re-read
them, masticate them, and digest themLet them go
into your very self. Peruse a good book several
times, and make notes and analy-ses of it. A
student will find that his mental constitution is
more affected by one book thoroughly mastered
than by twenty books which he has merely skimmed,
lapping at themlittle learning and much pride
come of hasty read-ing. Books may be piled on
the brain till it cannot work. Some men are
disabled from their thinking by their put-ting
meditation away for the sake of much reading.
They gouge themselves with book-matter, and
become men-tally dyspeptic. CHS,
Lectures, p. 177

19
Some of Spurgeons favorites

Apples of Gold and Precious Remedies Against
Satans Devices by Thomas Brooks
The Objects And Acts of Justifying Faith by T
Goodwin
The Glories of Christ, The Death of Death in the
Death of Christ, The Holy Spirit, and Hebrews by
John Owen
The Attributes of God by Stephen Charnock
The Christian in Complete Armour by William
Gurnall
John 17 by Thomas Manton
Mystery of Providence by John Flavel
The Body of Divinity by Thomas Watson
Reformed Pastor and Saints Everlasting Rest by
Baxter
Pilgrims Progress and The Holy War by John
Bunyan

20
Spurgeons abilities

He kills Thomas Road goes to tavern at age five
to rebuke grandfathers wayward member
Meets with missionary James Knill at 6am for
three mornings for prayer at age ten and Knill
predicts Spurgeon will be a great preacher
Does a paper against papacy at age ten
Writes 295pp Popery Unmasked at 14
Can argue vs. himself in debate forums
Most popular English speaker after coming to New
Park Street, London
Sermons translated sent around worldsome say
40 different languages 100K in England alone
500K were sold weekly after his death

21
Spurgeons monomania

To preach the Gospeland to train others to do
it, is my lifes object and aim. Pike, 361
Lives with many aims are like water trickling
through innumerable streams, none of which are
wide enough or deep enough to float the merest
cockleshell of a boat but a life with one object
is like a mighty river flowing be-tween its
banks, bearing to the ocean a multitude of ships,
and spreading fertility on either side.
Spurgeon, Soul
Winner, pg. 249
God sparing my life, I will not rest till the
dark country of Surrey be filled with places of
worship. It is only within the last six months
we have started two churchesand we will do so to
the hundredth time, God being our helper. Pike,
2313, 316

22
Spurgeon on evangelism

Spurgeon said of Matthew 936-37, This text is
laid on my heart it lies more on my heart than
any other in the Bible it is one that haunts me
perpetually, and hasfor many years.
Spurgeon Harvest
Men Wanted
Speaking to his Pastors College students on
evangelism Let this be your choice work while
studying, and let it be the one object of your
lives when you go forth from us.
Spurgeon, The
Soul-Winner, p. 225
Devotional habits are cultivated to the
utmost...students are urged to do as much
evangelistic work as they can.
Spurgeon, The MT History
and Work, p. 100

23
The Lay Preachers Association

Endeavour to maintainthe Lay Preachers
Association. I
might have preached without it, but that
Association in
Cambridge offered me opportunities of preaching
every
night in the week,I am sure that the Lay
Preachers
Associations assist young men very materially,
and help
greatly to supply the pulpits with those men who
will after-
wards carry on the work. We ought not to have a
single
church without a strong back of preaching men.
We must
have very many, and indeed we must encourage more
to
preach. I believe there are a great many men who
do very
much service by preaching whom you and I would
not like
to hear, but whom God will bless
Pike, 539

24
MTs Farm System

The Evangelists Association (MTs LPA) and
Tabernacle
County Mission provided ministry involvement and
experi-
ence for the MT members. Many young men first
began to
preach the gospel through these organizations.
These
ministries were under the leadership of dedicated
lay lead-
ers. Spurgeon, Others of the elders have also
exercised a
most gracious ministry in various parts of the
metropolis,
and in the home counties, through the agency of
the Taber-
nacle Country Mission and Evangelists
Association. Many
churches, that are now self-supporting and
flourishing,
were started in a very humble fashion by the
brethren con-
nected with one or other of these two useful
societies.
CHS, Auto, 325

25
MT Farm System (continued)

In 1881 the Evangelists Assoc owned and operated
603 preaching stations each Sun
Another 728 preaching stations were either
borrowed or rented, but still manned by MT lay
preachers
There were also 131 open-air meetings
Preachers in both organizations gave their time
w/o rumuneration helped pay rent
49 Bible schools served by MT members on Sundays
Spurgeon said these organizations helped provide
godly mendiscover fields of usefulness, and
prepare themselves for them.
Spurgeon, Notes Sword and
Trowel 17
(September 1881)
486

26
Elders Deacons

CHS taught on the elders role along with
dea-cons for five yrs, then MT accepted 1.12.1859
Our elders, now sustained by twenty-six
brethren, is a source of much blessing to our
church. Without the efficient and self-denying
labours of the Elders we should never be able to
supervise our huge church, containing at the
close of the year 1868, 3,860 members, and from
which, under the present, about an equal number
have gone to the church triumphant, or to other
parts of the church militant.
Spurgeon, The MT its History and Work,
p. 89

27
Evening Classes

The church at the Tabernacle continues to furnish
a
large quota of men, and as these have usually
been educa-
ted for two or more years in our Evening Classes,
they are
more advanced and better able to profit by our
two years of
study. We have no difficulty in finding spheres
for men who
are ready and fitted for them. There is no
reason to believe
that the supply of trained ministers is in
advance of the
demand.These evening classes afford an
opportunity to
Christian men engaged during the day to obtain an
educa-
tion for nothing during their leisure time, and
very many
avail themselves of the privilege. MT History,
pp.100-01
150 young business men who were receiving
instruction in the Evening classes. Pike,
316, 1862 (200 in 76)

28
Planting Philosophy

Spurgeon guided his Pastors College men to plant
churches by using means effective to that
situation. He taught flexibility and to look for
responsive fields.
He said the policy in planting churches was like
a florist Plant a lot of slips hoping that
some of them will strike.
CHS, Report of the College Work In
and Around
London, Sword and Trowel, May 1878
Our plan in London has been to do very little
where we could not do much to open many rooms,
and to start many small communities in hope that
some of them would like to become self-supporting
churches.
Pike, 3157 Auto, 3253-54

29
Spurgeon on the Pastors College

Our one aim has been to train preachers and
pastors. Let
the men be scholars by all means, to their
fullest bent, but
first and foremost let them study their Bibles,
hold the faith
clearly, and know how to defend it valiantly. If
they become
so bookish that they cannot speak except in a
pedantic
latinised language, their education has failed
if they grow
so refined and affected that they cannot
condescend to
men of low estate, their learning has made them
fools and
If they are so fascinated by literary pursuits
that they think
lightly of the preaching of the gospel, they have
missed the
mark

30
Spurgeon on PC (cont)

but should they be rendered humble by the
knowledge
which they gain, should their minds be well
stored, should
their tongues become more fluent, and their
thoughts more
deep, and above all should their piety be
strengthened and
their graces be cultivated, it will prove an
essential benefit
to the men, and an immense gain to the churches,
that they
have passed through a college course.
Spurgeon, The Pastors College, Sword and
Trowel, 9146
If learning necessarily took men off from
dependence upon
God we should loathe it, but so far as we can
see,
ignorance and self-confidence have considerably
affinity,
while grace makes men humble, however much they
know. CHS Notes, S T, 16 421

31
Spurgeons Philosophy on Churches having Colleges

It is nothing but sanctified common sense that
leads the
Church local churches to the formation of a
college.
Pike, 4356
Spurgeon said in 1870 It appears to us that the
mainte-
nance of a truly spiritual College is probably
the readiest
way in which to bless the churches.
We are not singular in this opinion, for to be
successful
workers in all times the same method had
occurred. With-
out citing the abundant incidents of early times,
let us re-
member the importance which John Calvin attached
to the
College at Geneva. Not by any one of the
Reformers

32
Churches and Colleges (cont)

personally could the Reformation have been
achieved, but
They multiplied themselves in their students, and
so fresh
centres of light were created.
.Wherever a great principle is to be advanced,
prudence
suggests the necessity of training men who are to
become
the advancers of it. Our Lord and Saviour did
just the
same thing when he elected twelve to be always
with him,
in order that, by superior instruction, they
might become
leaders of the church.
G. W. Harte, Historical Tablets of
the College
Founded by Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
p. 14

33
Spurgeons Values for the College

The College was the first important institution
commenced by the Pastor, and it still remains his
first-born and best beloved. Spurgeon, MT Its
History, p.96
Our College work is pushed on with vigour
weare diligently seeking to break up fresh
groundto found new churches. CHS,
Memoranda, S T 68, p. 43
there is yet very much land to be possessed
and when men break up fresh soil, as ours are
encouraged to do, the field is the world, and the
prayer for more labourers is daily more urgent.
CHS, MT-History, p. 101
To every land we hope yet to send forth the
gospel in its fullness and purity. We pray the
Lord to raise up mis-sionaries among our students
and make every one a winner of souls.
CHS, MT-History, p. 102

34
The Pastors College room board Practice

Spurgeon arranged for free tuition and provided
room board, but note The young brethren are
boarded generally in twos and threes, in the
houses of our friends members around the
Tabernacle, for which the College pays a moderate
weekly amount. The plan of separate lodging we
believe to be far preferable to having all under
one roof for, by the latter mode, men are
isolated from general family habits, and are too
apt to fall into superabundant levity. The
circumstances of the families who entertain our
young friends are generally such that they are
not elevated above the social position which in
all probability they will have to occupy in
future years, but are kept in connection with the
struggles and conditions of every-day life.
CHS, MT-History, p. 100

35
Spurgeonic Principles for Today, 1

THE PULPIT MINISTRY
Spurgeon wanted his students to understand the
pulpit was their number one responsibility
because this is where the climate and atmosphere
of the church would be created.
This is accomplished by clearly communicating
what a Christ-follower is to be do, and what a
Christ-honoring church is to be do
the visitation of the sick, private visitation
among his people, organization of useful
benevolent institutions, platform speaking,
occasional contributions to magazines and
reviewsthese are all good and important but the
work of the pulpit is more important than any of
them. Pike, 3184

36
Spurgeonic Principle 2

PRAYER
Our reliance upon prayer has been very
conspicuousWe
have not begun, we have not continued, we have
not end-
ed anything without prayerWe wish to be on
record that
we owe our success, as a church, to the work of
the Holy
Spirit, principally through its leading us to
pray. Auto 4243
Spurgeon taught PC men do train the people to
continually
meet together for prayer. CHS, Greatest
Fight, p.43
Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of
the
church. Willams, Spurgeon, p. 72 Auto, 481

37
Spurgeonic Principle 3

PNEUMATOLOGY
Spurgeon valued the Holy Spirits ministry
Dear brethren, I feel sure that you have all
stuck to your studies diligently and my prayer
is that the Holy Spirit may sanctify your human
acquirements by a double measure of His
anointing. Your power lies in His grace rather
than in natural gifts or scholastic acquisitions.
Without the Spirit, you will be failures, and
worse therefore, pray much, and see to it that
your whole selves are in such a condition that
the Spirit of God can dwell in you for in some
men He cannot reside, and with some men He cannot
work. Let the channel through which the living
water is to flow be both clear and clean.

Auto, 3159

38
Spurgeonic Principle 4

Processing New Members
Spurgeon wanted his PC men to understand how
people were received into membership would shape
its strength.
All hurry to get members into the church is most
mischievous, both to the church and to the
supposed converts. CHS, The Soul Winner,
pp. 18-19
I believe that one reason why our church has
beenso signally blessed of Godthose who have
been added to our ranks have been well
established in the old-fashioned faith of the
Puritansand therefore have not turned aside or
drawn away from us. CHS, Auto, 2225

39
Spurgeonic Principal 5

Pastoral Leadership
Spurgeon was referred to as the governor by his
members and church leaders. He knew he had to
lead, but he respected his people. It was said
about his leadership at the 25th anniversary of
his pastorate
With habitual modesty he constantly attributes
to Sunday-school teachers, tract distributors,
and in fact to the entire rank and file of
Christian workers, the real praise for results of
which he gests all the credit. This is true in a
degree, although it is even more true that his
accomplished generalship made the soldiers.
Spurgeon, Twenty-Fifth
Year, p. 54

40
Spurgeonic Principles 6

Priesthood of the Believer
It was in large part the influence and help of a
lay person named Mary King who led Spurgeon to
know Christs salvation and Lordship. He never
forgot her role in his life. Spurgeon said of
her, I do believe that I learnt more from her
than I should have learned from my six doctors of
divinity. CHS, Auto, 153
Spurgeon knew the potential and power of lay
persons firsthand and he never got over this in
how to accomplish multiplying disciples and
churches.

41
Spurgeonic Principle 7 Preparing Preachers